name | Brad Paisley| image Paisley, Brad (2007) 2.jpg |
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landscape | yes |
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background | solo_singer |
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birth name | Brad Douglas Paisley |
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birth date | October 28, 1972 |
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origin | Glen Dale, West Virginia,United States |
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instrument | Vocals, guitar, mandolin |
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genre | Country |
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occupation | Singer-songwriter, musician |
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years active | 1997–present |
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spouse | Kimberly Williams-Paisley |
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label | Arista Nashville |
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associated acts | Alison Krauss, Dolly Parton, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Martina McBride, Chely Wright |
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website | BradPaisley.com |
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notable instruments | Bill Crook TelecastersFender Telecasters
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Brad Douglas Paisley (born October 28, 1972) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. His style crosses between traditional
country music and
Southern rock, and his songs are frequently laced with humor and
pop culture references.
Paisley was the 2008 CMA and ACM Male Vocalist of the Year winner. Starting with the release of his 1999 album ''Who Needs Pictures'', Paisley has recorded seven studio albums and a Christmas compilation on the Arista Nashville label, with all of his albums certified gold or higher by the RIAA. In addition, he has charted 25 singles on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs chart, 16 of which have reached #1 with a record 10 consecutive singles reaching the top spot on the chart. On November 10, 2010, Paisley won the Entertainer of the Year award at the 44th annual CMA Awards.
Biography
Paisley was born on October 28, 1972 in
Wheeling, West Virginia to Douglas Edward "Doug" Paisley, who worked for the
West Virginia Department of Transportation, and Sandra Jean "Sandy" (née Jarvis) Paisley, a teacher. He was raised in
Glen Dale, West Virginia. He has stated that his love of country music stems from his maternal grandfather, Warren Jarvis, who gave Paisley his first guitar, a
Sears Danelectro Silvertone at 8-years-old and taught him how to play. At age 10, he performed for the first time in public by singing in his church. He later recalled that, "Pretty soon, I was performing at every Christmas party and Mother's Day event. The neat thing about a small town is that when you want to be an artist, by golly, they'll make you one".
Paisley graduated from John Marshall High School in Glen Dale, West Virginia in 1991, studied for 2 years at West Liberty University (WV) and later was awarded a full-paid ASCAP scholarship to Belmont University, in Nashville, Tennessee (from 1993 to 1995). He interned at ASCAP, Atlantic Records, and the Fitzgerald-Hartley management firm. While in college, he met Frank Rogers, a fellow student who went on to serve as his producer. Paisley also met Kelley Lovelace, who became his songwriting partner. He also met Chris DuBois in college, and he too would write songs for him.
1999–2001: ''Who Needs Pictures''
His debut as a singer was with the label
Arista Nashville, with the song "
Who Needs Pictures" (released February 22, 1999). In May of that same year, he made his first appearance on the
Grand Ole Opry. Seven months later he had his first #1 hit with "
He Didn't Have to Be," which detailed the story of Paisley's frequent co-writer Kelley Lovelace and Lovelace's stepson, McCain Merren. ''
We Danced'' also was a hit for Paisley off the debut album, reaching #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. By February 2001, the album was certified platinum.
In 2000, Paisley's mainstream notoriety received a huge boost when he was exposed to his first national non-country music oriented audience on the TLC special, "Route 66: Main Street America." Producer, Todd Baker, tapped the young musician to appear on this show when he was a relative unknown outside the world of country music. It featured Paisley and band doing rare live and acoustic versions of Route 66. The international and home video versions of this program end with a full, un-cut acoustic rendition of the piece, which was performed live on Rainbow Bridge in Riverton, KS. The show accurately predicted that Paisley would become a legendary musician, and also featured blues artist, Buddy Guy.
Later in 2000, Paisley won the Country Music Association's (CMA) Horizon Award and the Academy of Country Music's best new male vocalist trophy. He received his first Grammy Award nomination a year later for Best New Artist. On February 17, 2001, Paisley was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry He was 28 when he accepted the invitation, and was the youngest member ever to join. PBS did a 75th anniversary concert special, which saw Paisley pair up with Chely Wright and sing a song called ''Hard to Be a Husband, Hard to Be a Wife'', and would be included on the album ''Backstage at the Opry'', It would get a CMA nomination for Vocal Event of the Year.
2001–2003: ''Part II''
In 2002, he won the CMA Music Video of the Year for "
I'm Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin' Song)." Several celebrities made notable guest appearances in the video, including
Little Jimmy Dickens,
Kimberly Williams,
Dan Patrick, and
Jerry Springer. His three other singles off the ''
Part II'' album, "
I Wish You'd Stay", "
Wrapped Around", and "
Two People Fell in Love", all charted in the top 10. The album stayed in the charts for more than 70 weeks and was certified platinum in August 2002. To support his album, he toured the country as the opening act for
Lonestar.
2003–2005: ''Mud on the Tires''
Paisley released his third album, ''
Mud on the Tires'' (2003), following ''Who Needs Pictures'' and ''Part II.'' The album features the hit song "
Celebrity", the video of which parodies reality shows such as ''
Fear Factor'', ''
American Idol'', ''
The Bachelorette'' and ''
According to Jim'', and included such celebrities as
Jason Alexander,
James Belushi, Little Jimmy Dickens,
Trista Rehn and
William Shatner. (Paisley later contributed to Shatner's album ''
Has Been''.) The album's title track, "
Mud on the Tires", reached Billboard #1 in 2004.
In addition, the ninth track from ''Mud on the Tires'', "Whiskey Lullaby", a duet with Alison Krauss reached #3 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs) charts, and #41 on the Billboard Hot 100. The music video for ''Whiskey Lullaby'' also won several awards and was rated #2 on the 100 Greatest Music Videos by CMT in 2008. The album would be certified double platinum. "Online" featured the Brentwood High School marching band playing toward the end of the song, a cameo by Jason Alexander, and again featured a cameo by William Shatner. ''Throttleneck'' would also reach number one, which would get Paisley his first Grammy.
The fifth single from ''5th Gear'' actually came from a reissued version of the album – a new recording of "Waitin' on a Woman", a track cut from ''Time Well Wasted.'' The reissued version received unsolicited airplay in late 2006, and features less prominent string guitar and violin parts and a more "muted" musical tone. For the chart week of September 20, 2008, the song became Paisley's twelfth number-one single and his eighth straight number-one hit, making him the artist with the most consecutive Number One country hits since the inception of Nielsen SoundScan in 1990.
In July 2006, producer Todd Baker tapped Brad for a television appearance as an animated character in The Wonder Pets, Daddy Armadillo. The yet-to-be-broadcast episode features Brad's wife, Kimberly Williams, as Mama Armadillo.
Paisley toured April 26, 2007 through February 24, 2008 in support of ''5th Gear'' on the Bonfires & Amplifiers Tour. The tour visited 94 cities over a 10 month period and played for over 1,000,000 fans. The tour was so successful that it was extended past its original end date to February 2008. Some of the opening acts who appeared during the tour were Taylor Swift, Kellie Pickler, Jack Ingram, Rodney Atkins and Chuck Wicks.
Paisley was nominated for three 2008 Grammy Awards related to ''5th Gear'': Best Country Album (for ''5th Gear''), Best Country Collaboration (for "Oh Love" with Carrie Underwood), and Best Country Instrumental (for "Throttleneck"). On February 10, 2008, he won his first Grammy award for Best Country Instrumental for "Throttleneck".
In March 2008, Brad Paisley announced his next tour, "The Paisley Party," a 42-date tour sponsored by Hershey's. The tour kicked off on June 11, 2008, in Albuquerque, New Mexico with Chuck Wicks, Julianne Hough and Jewel as the opening acts. Brad Paisley and Keith Urban released to country radio their first duet together on September 8, 2008, "Start a Band." It was the first and only single from ''Play,'' and it went on to become Paisley's thirteenth number one hit and his ninth in a row. The album also features collaborations with James Burton, Little Jimmy Dickens, Vince Gill, John Jorgenson, B.B. King, Albert Lee, Brent Mason, Buck Owens, Redd Volkaert and Steve Wariner. Paisley and Urban both received Entertainer of the Year nominations from the CMA on September 10, 2008. On November 12, 2008 Brad Paisley won Male Vocalist of the Year and Music Video of the Year for "Waitin' on a Woman" during the CMA's.
2009–2010: ''American Saturday Night''
Brad Paisley announced on January 26, 2009 his new tour named "American Saturday Night."
Dierks Bentley and
Jimmy Wayne will be opening in the majority of the shows. Brad Paisley's newest album, ''
American Saturday Night'' was released on June 30, 2009. The album's lead off single, "
Then" was released in March 2009 and performed for the first time on ''
American Idol'' on March 18. It went on to become Paisley's 14th number one single and his tenth in a row.
On May 6, 2009, Paisley gave an exclusive performance to a small group of members from his fan club in Studio A of the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, TN as he and his band taped an episode of CMT Invitation Only. The show gives fans a chance to see their favorite artists in a more intimate setting up close and personal. There was a Q & A session and interaction between Paisley and his fans. The show aired on Monday, August 3 at 9:00 p.m. on CMT.
On July 21, 2009, Paisley performed at the White House in celebration of country music.
"Country Music at the White House " was streamed live on the White House web-site as well as a special on Great American Country.
On November 11, 2009, Paisley co-hosted the CMA Awards for the second straight year. He also performed "Welcome to the Future", and won both Male Vocalist of the Year and Musical Event of the Year for Start a Band with Keith Urban.
On March 1, 2010, Paisley was the first musical performance with "American Saturday Night" for the second tenure of the Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
On Friday March 5, 2010, Paisley slipped and fell performing his last song of the set, "Alcohol," at a concert at the North Charleston Coliseum in Charleston, South Carolina, on the final date of the American Saturday Night Tour. Fearing a broken rib, he was held overnight at an area hospital, but was released when a CT scan was negative.
On July 31, 2010 Brad performed alongside Carrie Underwood at the inaugural Greenbrier Classic PGA Tour Event in Lewisburg, W.Va. An estimated 60,000 people attended the out door event to watch Carrie and Brad perform in the pouring rain.
On August 4, 2010, it was announced on his official website that Paisley would release his first official greatest hits package, entitled ''Hits Alive''. Released on November 2, 2010, ''Hits Alive'' is a double-disc collection, with one disc containing studio versions of Paisley's hit singles, while the companion disc features previously unreleased live versions of his songs.
Brad Paisley cohosted the 44th Annual CMA Awards on November 10, 2010, where he was also awarded the CMA's top award, Entertainer of the Year. During his acceptance speech, Paisley emotionally honored his grandfather, who inspired him to play the guitar.
2011-Present: ''This Is Country Music''
In December 2010, Paisley released "
This Is Country Music" as the title track to his
eighth studio album, released May 23, 2011. The album's second single, "
Old Alabama" (with
Alabama), released to country radio on March 14, 2011 and became Paisley's nineteenth number one hit. "
Remind Me," with
Carrie Underwood, was released May 23, 2011 to radio.
On March 22, 2011, Paisley's website announced a new beta game titled "Brad Paisley World." The game is modeled after other Facebook games such as Farmville or Mafia Wars and features original animation. The game provides a new way for fans to interact with each other and view exclusive material that would otherwise be unavailable.
On May 12, 2011, Paisley's website announced that he would release two songs on the soundtrack for the film ''Cars 2''. One of them would be a collaboration with British pop singer Robbie Williams.
Tours
''Brooks & Dunn's Neon Circus & Wild West Show 2003
''Mud & Suds Tour 2004'' (w/ Sara Evans, Andy Griggs)
''Two Hats & A Redhead Tour 2005'' (w/ Reba McEntire, Terri Clark)
''Time Well Wasted Tour 2006'' (w/ Sara Evans, Sugarland, Carrie Underwood, Jake Owen, Josh Turner, Billy Currington)
''Bonfires & Amplifiers Tour 2007–2008'' (w/ Taylor Swift, Jack Ingram, Kellie Pickler, Rodney Atkins, Chuck Wicks)
''The Paisley Party Tour 2008'' (w/ Chuck Wicks, Julianne Hough, Jewel)
''The Paisley Party Tour 2009'' (w/ Dierks Bentley, Darius Rucker, Crystal Shawanda)
''American Saturday Night Tour 2009'' (w/ Dierks Bentley, Jimmy Wayne)
''American Saturday Night Tour 2010'' (w/ Miranda Lambert, Justin Moore)
''The H2O Tour 2010'' (w/ Darius Rucker, Justin Moore, Easton Corbin, Steel Magnolia, Josh Thompson)
''The H2O Frozen Over Tour 2011'' (w/ Darius Rucker, Jerrod Niemann)
''H2O II: Wetter and Wilder World Tour'' (w/ Darius Rucker, Blake Shelton, Jerrod Niemann, Sunny Sweeney, The JaneDear Girls, Brent Anderson, Edens Edge)
Band
Paisley records his studio albums, in most part, with the backing of his live band, The Drama Kings. Their first gig together was May 7, 1999. The only changes have been Randel Currie's addition on the steel guitar in 2000 and Jimmy Heffernan's departure in 2001. Also, Jody Harris worked as Paisley's guitar tech until officially becoming a bandmember for the American Saturday Night Tour. As of 2010, the lineup is:
Brad Paisley – lead vocals, lead guitar
Gary Hooker – rhythm guitar
Randle Currie – steel guitar
Kendal Marcy – keyboards, banjo, mandolin
Justin Williamson – fiddle, mandolin
Kenny Lewis – bass guitar
Ben Sesar – drums
Personal life
Paisley had seen ''
Father of the Bride'' with a former girlfriend. They broke up, but when ''
Father of the Bride Part II'' was released, he went to see the sequel alone. He said that he watched
Kimberly Williams' performance and "thought, She seems like a great girl — smart and funny and all those things that are so hard to find." Paisley wrote several songs on ''Part II'' about his former girlfriend, including one about going to see ''
Father of the Bride'', and when it was time to cast the video, Paisley thought of the girl in the movie.
In 2001, Paisley began dating Kimberly Williams. Williams appeared in a video for the song, "I'm Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin' Song)," in 2002, the last release from his ''Part II'' album. The two married on March 15, 2003, at Stauffer Chapel on the campus of Pepperdine University after a nine month engagement.
They live in Franklin, Tennessee, and have another home in Malibu.
Their first son, William Huckleberry, or "Huck", was born on February 22, 2007, in Nashville, Tennessee. Their second son, Jasper Warren (named after his grandfather who bought Brad his first guitar), was born on April 17, 2009.
Paisley is a member of the Southern Jurisdiction of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, and a Noble of the AAONMS, also known as Shriners. He was accompanied by his father, Doug Paisley (32º), for the ceremony on October 28, 2006.
He is also a lifelong fan of the Cleveland Browns. Paisley sang the national anthem before a game during the 1999 season, and stated in an interview, with ESPN his dream job would be to play football for them. He also invited former Browns Quarterback Brady Quinn to a concert at the Blossom Music Center, in 2008.
Paisley is also a fan of West Virginia University athletics and the Boston Red Sox.
In fall of 2009, it was announced in ''Variety'' that Paisley would enter the world of scripted television as an executive producer of a new hour-long drama series for The CW network called, appropriately, ''Nashville''. The plot was written and created by Neal Dodson and Matt Bomer (an actor on the USA Network series, ''White Collar''). The creator of the series ''One Tree Hill'', Mark Schwahn will direct the pilot and oversee the series. ''Star Trek'' and ''Heroes'' actor Zachary Quinto is also an executive producer on the series, along with Dodson, Bomer, and Corey Moosa.
As of July 2010, the series is not on the CW's fall schedule or mid-season schedule for 2010–2011 and the status of the project is unknown.
In 2010, Paisley was named a "Citizen of the Next Century" by Future-ish for his song "Welcome to the Future".
Gear
Paisley's first guitar was a Sears Danelectro Silvertone, and has since then been replaced with multiple Fender Telecasters. He uses amps by Tony Bruno and Dr. Z, along with Bill Crook model Telecaster style guitars. For pedals, he uses the Wampler Paisley signature overdrive and pedals by BOSS and Hermida Audio.
Discography
Albums
;Studio Albums
1999: ''Who Needs Pictures''
2001: ''Part II''
2003: ''Mud on the Tires''
2005: ''Time Well Wasted''
2006: ''Brad Paisley Christmas''
2007: ''5th Gear''
2008: ''Play''
2009: ''American Saturday Night''
2011: ''This Is Country Music''
;Compilations
2010: ''Hits Alive''
Awards
Brad Paisley has won the following awards:
Academy of Country Music
* 1999 – Top New Male Vocalist of the Year
* 2004 – Vocal Event of the Year ("Whiskey Lullaby")
* 2004 – Video of the Year ("Whiskey Lullaby")
* 2005 – Album of the Year ("Time Well Wasted")
* 2005 – Vocal Event of the Year ("When I Get Where I'm Going")
* 2005 – Video of the Year ("When I Get Where I'm Going")
* 2007 – Top Male Vocalist of the Year
* 2008 – Top Male Vocalist of the Year
* 2008 – Video of the Year ("Online")
* 2009 – Video of the Year ("Waitin' on a Woman")
* 2009 – Vocal Event of the Year ("Start a Band")
* 2009 – Top Male Vocalist of the Year
* 2010 – Top Male Vocalist of the Year
* 2011 – Top Male Vocalist of the Year
Country Music Association Awards
* 2000 – Horizon Award
* 2001 – Vocal Event of the Year ("Too Country")
* 2002 – Music Video of the Year ("I'm Gonna Miss Her")
* 2004 – Musical Event of the Year ("Whiskey Lullaby")
* 2004 – Music Video of the Year ("Whiskey Lullaby")
* 2006 – Album of the Year (''Time Well Wasted'')
* 2006 – Musical Event of the Year ("When I Get Where I'm Going")
* 2007 – Music Video of the Year ("Online" – director Jason Alexander)
* 2007 – Male Vocalist of the Year
* 2008 – Music Video of the Year ("Waitin' on a Woman")
* 2008 – Male Vocalist of the Year
* 2009 – Male Vocalist of the Year
* 2009 – Musical Event of the Year ("Start A Band" with Keith Urban)
* 2010 – Entertainer of the Year
Grammy Awards
* 2008 – Best Country Instrumental Performance ("Throttleneck")
* 2009 – Best Country Instrumental Performance ("Cluster Pluck")
* 2009 – Best Male Country Vocal Performance ("Letter to Me")
Country Weekly Presents the TNN Music Awards
* 2000 – The Discovery Award
* 2000 – Song of the Year ("He Didn't Have to Be")
* 2000 – CMT Music Video of the Year ("He Didn't Have to Be")
Flameworthy Awards/CMT Music Awards
* 2002 – Concept Video of the Year ("I'm Gonna Miss Her")
* 2005 – Collaborative Video of the Year ("Whiskey Lullaby")
* 2006 – Most Inspiring Video of the Year ("When I Get Where I'm Going")
* 2008 – Comedy Video of the Year ("Online")
* 2009 – CMT Performance of the Year ("Country Boy")
* 2009 – Collaborative Video of the Year ("Start a Band")
* 2009 – Male Video of the Year ("Waitin' On a Woman")
American Music Awards
* 2008 – Favorite Country Male Artist
* 2010 – Favorite Country Male Artist
American Country Awards
* 2010 – Artist of the Year - Male
''Orville H. Gibson Guitar Award''
* 2002 – Best Country Guitarist (Male)
''Nashville Songwriters Association International Award''
* 2002 – Songwriter/Artist of the Year
* 2005 – Songwriter/Artist of the Year
''ASCAP Country Music Award''
* 2004 – Songwriter/Artist of the Year
References
External links
Official Website
Category:1972 births
Category:American guitarists
Category:American songwriters
Category:American country guitarists
Category:American country singers
Category:American singer-songwriters
Category:American country songwriters
Category:American male singer-songwriters
Category:American country singer-songwriters
Category:American male singers
Category:American people of Scottish descent
Category:Arista Records artists
Category:Belmont University alumni
Category:Grammy Award winners
Category:Grand Ole Opry members
Category:Living people
Category:Lead guitarists
Category:People from Marshall County, West Virginia
Category:Musicians from West Virginia
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